Handling struts for reducing engine roll under conditions of high lateral load are known. They act against movement of the powertrain independent of the body of the vehicle. Especially in vehicles with large engines, such as the W12 engine used by Bentley Motors, movement of the engine independent of the body of the vehicle can lead to poor handling characteristics. This movement is caused primarily by one of two factors: the engine itself, when accelerating may rotate about a torque axis, the other factor is momentum of the engine, which, especially in hard cornering, opposes the direction of the body of the automobile.
Handling struts to restrain the powertrain of automobiles have been proposed in inter alia US2013/0112840, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,518,058 and 4,706,946, all of which note at least one of the problems of struts transmitting noise, vibrations and/or harshness to the passenger compartment and seek to avoid one or more of these undesirable characteristics. Each proposes a strut, having a damper; a hydraulic arrangement in U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,058, an elastic bushing in US2013/0112840, and elastomeric block in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,946.
However, as automobiles have become quieter generally and with the use of stiffer materials for panels, noise and vibration can still be noticeable despite the damping mechanisms of the prior art. In particular, handling struts are often attached to large panels which can act as a drum-skin, amplifying noise, and transmitting vibrations to the cockpit. This invention seeks to provide an improved handling strut.